


A Happier Birthday

by eiranerys



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: AnnTakamakiWeek, Birthday, Day 5: Birthday, Family Fluff, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:15:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27586616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eiranerys/pseuds/eiranerys
Summary: It's November 12th, Anne's birthday. Wanting to surprise her, her 3 children attempt to make her breakfast. Unfortunately... things go a little awry. Written for Ann Takamaki Week Day 5: Birthday.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Takamaki Ann, Kurusu Akira/Takamaki Ann, Persona 5 Protagonist/Takamaki Ann
Comments: 6
Kudos: 25
Collections: Ann Takamaki Week 2020





	A Happier Birthday

"Tatsu."

"Mmmnh."

"Tatsu!"

"Go away 'kari."

Thirteen-year-old Akari put both hands on her hips, eyeing her little brother as he rolled over onto his stomach. She couldn't help but feel a little frustrated. She, Tatsuo, and their baby sister Kimiko were planning on surprising their mother Anne with breakfast in bed.

The occasion? It was November twelfth, Anne's birthday. Their father Ren usually cooked Anne breakfast but Akari wanted to do it this year.

But at this rate, Ren would be making Anne her birthday breakfast before they even managed to drag Tatsuo out of bed. Though granted, given how hard Ren had been working lately, he may be knocked out for a while.

But still! She would drag Tatsuo out of bed, even if it killed her.

Time for her secret weapon. Akari's lips curled into a mischievous smile, one learned from her father.

She then looked down at the baby of the family, four-year-old Kimiko. She was an adorable child, with their father's dark hair that fell down in waves (when it wasn't tied in her usual twin braids), a cherubic face, and their mother's brilliant smile.

"Wanna wake up Nii-chan?" she whispered.

Kimiko's eyes lit up in excitement before she giggled. "You sure, Nee-chan?"

"Positive," she said with a wink. "Just don't be too loud. Don't wanna wake up Mama!"

The little girl beamed up at Akari and Akari had to press a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter. Kimiko's dark eyes sparkled in mischief before launching herself at their brother. The seven-year-old let out a dragged out groan as Kimiko bounced up and down on him.

"Up, Nii-chan, up~!" she sang out, happily jumping up and down.

The bed groaned under their combined weight.

"Okay, I'm up, I'm up!" Tatsuo groaned, before grumpily pushing at Kimiko. "Just make her stop already!"

Giggling, Akari easily scooped up Kimiko in her arms. She cuddled the little girl for a moment, before beaming at Tatsuo who reluctantly sat up. Kimiko giggled as well, before blowing a kiss to their brother.

"Morning sleepyhead," Akari said with a cheeky smile.

"It's Mama's birthday, Nii-chan! We gotta do something special for her!" Kimiko exclaimed, happily bouncing in Akari's arms.

"I know, I know!" Tatsuo huffed out, before brushing a blond curl out of his still bleary eyes. "I dunno how you're so cheerful already."

"You're just like Mama, that's what it is," Akari gently teased him.

Though granted, their father didn't function well in the morning without his beloved coffee. None of them were allowed to drink coffee yet, though.

Akari then put her hands on her hips, shooting her brother a look. "And Kimi's right, you know—it's Mama's birthday. We've gotta celebrate!"

Akari could still remember the day she had met their mother. She had met their father beforehand, back when she was still living in the orphanage. He had been so nice to her… but when he had returned with his wife, she had caught Akari off guard. She spoke to her kindly, even offering to do her hair while they talked. She still remembered being shocked seeing how beautiful she was. But despite that, Anne had been down to earth, kind, and warm. She remembered feeling hopeful that maybe they liked her enough to come back and adopt her.

In many ways, their mother was very different than Akari's birth mother. Akari's birth mother had been a gentle soul, always having a smile and a hug for Akari despite her exhaustion from working two jobs. But Anne was fiery and passionate, loving all three of her children fiercely—their father often teased her by calling her a mama bear. She showered physical affection on them, often peppering them with kisses when she returned from an international gig.

Sometimes Anne wasn't _physically_ there due to her career, but she always showed them how much she loved them.

Akari really couldn't ask for a better mother. Anne loved her just as much as the two children she had given birth to. Ever since Tatsuo was born, she had been unable to doubt that.

Akari then went to Tatsuo's dresser. She dug for a little bit, pulling out a hoodie and jeans. She threw it on Tatsuo's bed.

"Now hurry it up! We've got work to do!"

"You're almost as bossy as Aunt Mako," Tatsuo complained, pulling a face. "Are all girls like this?"

"Less complaining, more dressing!"

After some more nagging, Akari finally got Tatsuo to clean up and get ready for the day. Once they were in the kitchen, Akari pulled out a chair to the counter.

"You're a big girl, right, Kimi?" she asked, before placing Kimiko on the chair.

At her baby sister's enthusiastic nod, she smiled. She took out the cutting board, slicing an orange. It took some effort but she cut several wedges from the one orange. She then grabbed a glass from the cupboard.

"So can you squeeze the oranges into the cup so she'll have some nice fresh orange juice?"

"Easy!" Kimiko said with a sunny smile.

Akari giggled before kissing the top of her head.

"Mama likes bacon, but Papa always puts it in the oven to make a little more healthy right?" Tatsuo asked.

Akari nodded. "So we'll put it on the baking sheet and let it bake! But first we gotta mix up the pancake mix. You can help me with that, Tatsu! And I'll do the cooking."

Tatsuo suddenly frowned. "D-Do you think Papa will be mad about this? He usually says that he should watch you cook. 'Specially if you burn your hand."

Akari pouted. "Papa doesn't have to hover so much. I'm thirteen now! And besides, Papa's super tired from his work!"

"I guess it should be okay…" Tatsuo said with a frown. "Though should we also make eggs? Papa likes to do pancakes, bacon, and eggs a lot."

"Oh good idea. We can do that after the pancakes!"

A sudden whimper caught Akari's attention.

"Nee-chan this is hard," Kimiko whined. "I don't like doing this!"

Akari bit her lip. What would their papa do…?

Then it struck her.

"Switch with Tatsu, Kimi," she said. "You can stir the pancake mix, and Tatsu can make the juice."

"Whaaat? But that's boring!" Tatsuo grumbled.

"Tatsu, please?" she whispered. "I'll let Kimi start stirring it but you can finish. Okay? We want this breakfast from all of us!"

"Ugh." Tatsuo pouted. "Fiiiine."

Akari took a deep breath. This will be fine. They just hit a little snag.

* * *

It was warm. Anne slowly blinked her eyes open.

"Happy birthday, Anne," Ren said, before pressing his lips against her neck.

It was slow and lazy, but Anne loved it. It was something to savor, basking in her husband's affection.

"You usually wake me up with breakfast in bed you know," she said with an amused smile.

"Well your devilishly handsome and talented husband is tired and wants some loving," Ren said, before pulling her into his arms.

Anne giggled as he started to nip and nibble at her neck.

"I thought today was about what I wanted?" she asked playfully.

"Exactly," Ren said with a grin.

But then his grin suddenly faded, before he sniffed the air.

He then turned to Anne. "Hey, Anne… do you smell something burning?"

Anne blinked before sniffing the air as well. It was faint, but…

"I think… you're right," she said slowly.

They looked at each other in horror before throwing aside the covers and rushing to the kitchen. As they drew closer, they could hear Akari and Tatsuo arguing.

"It looks wrong, Akari! You can't give that to Mama!"

"It's not burnt, Tatsu!"

"You messed up! It's not how Papa does it!"

Akari scowled. "I did not!"

"Did too!"

"NOT!"

"YES!"

"Nee-chan, Nii-chan, please stop fighting!" Kimiko whimpered out, before tugging at Tatsuo's sleeve. 

She then wrung her hands, her dark eyes darting between Akari and Tatsuo. 

"What's going on here?!" Ren demanded.

The kitchen was a… mess. Was that batter splattered on the walls?!

But what was burning? Anne looked around. The stove was off so that left…

"Ren! The oven!" Anne said, before rushing to the oven and yanking open the door.

She coughed several times as smoke poured out of the oven. She squinted. Inside were a couple of very burnt pieces of bacon.

"I'm sorry, Mama," Akari suddenly said.

Anne whirled around to look at her daughter; Akari looked close to tears. "We wanted to surprise you like Papa does every year but it turned out bad and… I messed up… didn't I?"

"It was my fault—if I wasn't yelling at Akari, we might've caught onto it," Tatsuo mumbled out.

Kimiko hung her head, teary-eyed. "We're sorry, Mama… we wanted you to have a good birthday."

"No, no!" Anne cried, before beckoning them close for a hug.

They squished in a group hug and Anne planted a kiss on each of their heads.

"Thank you for doing this for me! I know that Tatsu doesn't like getting up early."

Tatsuo grumbled at Anne's remark, but she ignored it. She had to focus on cheering up her children. They really just wanted to do something sweet for her, on her birthday and that was the important thing.

"And while it may not be as good as Papa's cooking, but that's because Papa has had years of practice! You know, there was one time Papa didn't listen to Grandpa Sojiro's recipe for his special curry and it turned out simply horrible! And Papa was seventeen then, much older than any of you! Anyone can make a mistake, sweetie."

Then she untangled herself from the group hug so she could wrap an arm around Akari's shoulders and gave her a little squeeze. To her relief, Akari managed a slight smile.

"Gee, thanks Anne," Ren muttered, shooting her an half amused, half exasperated look.

"Hush, Ren," she quickly shushed her husband, before looking back to her children. "And I'm sure it's not that bad. I'd be honored to try your cooking! I know the bacon is all burned up, but there's the yummy pancakes and orange juice!"

Ren looked a little skeptical, but she shot him a warning look. Then she seated herself and picked up the glass. She ignored the pulp and seeds floating inside.

"Let's start with this lovely orange j—"

"Wait, Mama!" Kimiko cried out. "You gotta have a straw!"

She then scampered over to the utensil drawer and pulled out a bright pink one.

Anne giggled before kissing her youngest. "Thanks, honey."

She plopped it into the juice and took one sip. She somehow managed to suppress a shudder. The orange juice was a little too sour. Thankfully the straw prevented her from getting too much pulp or seeds, but it was still… a little gross.

"Delicious!" she lied, somehow managing a smile. "Just like how Papa does it, Tatsu."

"I started it!" Kimiko jumped in.

"But I did most of it," Tatsuo grumbled.

"It was a team effort," Ren said, before ruffling Tatsuo's hair.

"Papa!" he complained, a whine in his voice. "Quit it!"

"Maybe in another five years."

Tatsuo proceeded to pout at Ren's statement, making them all laugh.

"Now you gotta eat the breakfast, Mama!" Kimiko bounced up and down.

"I can't wait, sweetie!" Anne had to stifle the urge to gulp.

Anne tried not to eye the breakfast warily. The pancakes were rather… lumpy. Maybe they hadn't stirred it enough to get the lumps out. Tatsuo then pulled out the syrup bottle from the bridge and poured it over the pancakes. Maybe the sugary goodness would help with the taste.

Anne couldn't help but giggle as Tatsuo attempted to draw a smiley face in syrup. A+ for effort, she supposed.

"Thanks, Tatsu."

She cut it with a knife and took a bite.

…Only to nearly choke. An overpowering cinnamon taste had filled her mouth, and _not_ in a good way.

Anne coughed, barely managing to swallow the pancake.

"Did you add some cinnamon, Akari?" she asked, somehow managing to not croak it out.

"That was my idea!" Kimiko said brightly. "Papa's cinnamon pancakes are superrrr yummy! So we added a lot of cinnamon to the batter!"

"A great idea, Kimi. You know how Mama loves cinnamon," Ren said hastily, sparing Anne from coming up with a white lie.

Somehow Anne managed to choke down an entire pancake. How Ren managed to keep his poker face on—she'd never know.

"Did you like it, Mama?" Kimiko asked innocently.

Anne drew her into her lap, cuddling her for a moment. "Of course. It was from you, after all!"

…It was the thought that counted.

Kimiko then sat up. "Oh, but we haven't gotten you your presents yet, Mama! You're gonna love mine! Uncle Inari helped me with mine!"

"I gotta get mine too!" Tatsuo yelped.

Their two youngest scrambled away, intent on getting their presents. However, Akari remained.

"Mama?" she whispered.

"What's the matter, sweetie?"

Akari bit her lip. "You… didn't have to force yourself to eat it."

Anne beckoned her close. Anne then kissed her cheek.

"It was the thought that counted, sweetie. How could I not eat it, when you were working so hard on it?"

Akari bit her lip. "I've gotta just spend some more time cooking right? I'll do better next year!"

Anne chuckled. "I'm sure Papa will be more than happy to help. Don't take it so hard, Akari. Just ask Uncle Ken about how Fuuka-san started out cooking."

"Volunteering me, huh?" Ren teased.

Anne huffed, rolling her eyes at her husband. "You love cooking. It's not exactly an annoyance for you."

Akari smiled though before throwing her arms around Anne. "Happy birthday, Mama. I love you."

"I love you too, sweetie." Anne kissed her, feeling a pang as she had to barely bend down to kiss her on the forehead.

Akari was growing like a weed. She wouldn't be surprised that by next year, Akari would be her height.

There was suddenly a loud crash.

"Oh for the love of—" Ren grumbled out, but Akari grabbed his arm.

"I've got it, Papa."

Anne just chuckled as Akari rushed off. But Ren reached down, picking up the plate and glass. He dumped the juice into the sink before dumping the pancakes into the trash can.

"Well… that was interesting to say the least," Ren said with a wry smile, turning to look at her.

Anne just smiled, clasping her hands together. "It was nice though."

Ren just raised an eyebrow at her. "Choking down pancakes that had way too much cinnamon and orange juice filled with pulp and seeds is your idea of fun?"

Anne giggled at the incredulity in his voice. "Not that! It's just... the _gesture_. I remember when I was younger, I would've done anything to have my parents be with me on my birthday instead of them sending an expensive gift."

She had spent so many lonely birthdays, growing up. Her parents had been there for her birthdays, up until she turned six. Their business had taken off after that. They were much too busy.

She wouldn't lie. It was disheartening. She understood that they didn't want to but… it still hurt. Even if she knew that they loved her to bits and pieces—treasuring her, as due to complications of her birth, they couldn't have more children.

"Anne..."

"It's okay, Ren," she said, smiling softly at her husband. "I understand now... but still, I'm grateful that I have such loving children who would do this for me."

"Especially since Tatsu hates getting up early," Ren quipped.

Anne just giggled. "That's how you know he loves me," she said with a fond smile.

Ren then drew her to her feet, wrapping his arms around her, before planting a loving kiss against her forehead.

"I know it wasn't the greatest start but… happy birthday, Anne."

**Author's Note:**

> Late but happy birthday, Anne! This was one of my submissions for Ann Takamaki Week. Unfortunately due to real life dogpiling me, I couldn't finish in time for her birthday.
> 
> Something to note: Akari ends up being the disaster chef out of the Shuann kids. Tatsu ends up being the best. Kimi is middling. 
> 
> And yes Kimi calls Yusuke "Uncle Inari". When Tatsuo was young, Yusuke was too hard for him to pronounce. Futaba jokingly called him Uncle Inari and Tatsu parroted her. The tradition continued with Kimiko. Yusuke is not amused.


End file.
